A Study of Early Classic Maya Ritual at Copán, Honduras

Analysis

The many pigments and macrobotanical remains found in the deposits suggests that perishable objects were an integral component of the activities performed in this area. In order to begin the process of identifying the materials used in the manufacture of those objects, 59 pigment samples taken from the material on top of the hieroglyphic marker were transported to the U.S. for macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical analyses. Optical microscopy (Figure 5, shown above), X-ray defraction (Figure 6, shown below), and to a lesser extent, scanning-electron microscopy (Figure 7, shown below), conducted by Dr. Hamdallah Béarat of the Center for Solid State Science at Arizona State University, were used to identify major and minor elements and some trace elements in pigment samples. Once complete, photos were taken of all the pigment samples and their color designations were identified using Munsell Color designations. The results of the pigment analysis are summarized in Table 1.

A total of seven pigments were identified: two reds (cinnabar and hematite), two yellows (jarosite and goethite), one green (chlorite), one white (calcite), and one black (carbon) (Figure 8, shown below). Quartz, montmorillonite (a clay mineral), and plagioclase feldspar were also identified in the samples. The carbon likely resulted from the fire that seems to have occurred on top of the monument during the termination ritual, as evidenced by the ash and carbon visible in the debris during excavation. The calcite may derive from the stucco floor into which the monument was set. Most interesting, however, is the fact that, if there had been any kind of burning on top of the monument, there would have been no evidence of jarosite and goethite (the yellow pigments). With fire, jarosite and goethite change chemical composition and color (Goffer 1980). So the burning noted during excavation on top of the marker either would have had to have occurred before those pigments were placed there or whatever was burned would have had to have been burned elsewhere and then placed on top of the marker.

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